


It's Like I've Waited

by secondalto



Series: A Love Supreme [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Everyone Is Poly Because Avengers, Fix-It, Gen, M/M, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 06:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18685564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secondalto/pseuds/secondalto
Summary: SPOILERS FOR ENDGAME. NO, SERIOUSLY, SPOILERS. SEE AUTHORS NOTES FOR MORE.





	It's Like I've Waited

**Author's Note:**

> So, the scene with Clint holding the gauntlet, surrounded by Nebula and Gamora? I was really expecting that to end with one of the daughters of Thanos striding out onto the field of battle wearing the damn thing to blast their "father" to kingdom come. Didn't happen, so I made it happen. Also a fix for that ending. See end notes for more on that.
> 
> Thanks as always to Rainne who will continue to make me a better writer. Any remaining mistakes are my own.

The echo of the shot rings in the air. Clint looks from Nebula to dead Nebula to the green woman he’s assuming is Gamora, as he clutches the gauntlet tight. Clearing his throat he looks at the Nebula who’s alive.

“Aren’t you supposed to, I don’t know, disappear or something?” he asks

“It doesn’t work that way,” both her and Gamora reply. 

Clint shrugs. “Okay, then what do we do with this thing?” He nods down to the gauntlet.

Nebula and Gamora exchange a look. Gamora speaks first. “You should take it, sister. You’ve suffered the most under… _father’s_ love.”

“You gonna wear it?” Clint asks. “Cause I saw what it did to Banner when he brought everyone back.”

“I can handle it,” Nebula says, gesturing for him to hand it over. When she has it in her grasp,the metal is cool to the touch. The stones wink and gleam in what little light there is. With a deep inhale she moves to put a hand inside of it. The plates whir and shift, adjusting to her size. Once everything clamps in place, sparks shoot up her arm. Nebula grits her teeth, shaking with the force of the power flowing through her. She’s felt worse pain. Breathing through it, she focuses her thoughts. The sparks stop.

“Sister?”

“I am fine. We should go find father,” she replies. The power of the stones thrums in her blood, in her mind. There is so much she could do, could fix. But Thanos must pay. 

“Won’t be hard, just follow the sounds of fighting,” Clint says.

Gamora nods. “We’ll go out the way we came in.”

Nebula just starts walking, Gamora follows. Clint scrambles to join them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ignoring pain has always been a part of Steve’s life. This battle isn’t any different. He faces Thanos and his army, ready to do whatever it takes. His earpiece crackles.

“Cap.”

The voice belongs to a ghost.

“Can you hear me, Cap?”

He’s hallucinating. The pain is so much that his brain can’t take it anymore. But something attracts his attention out of the corner of his eye. 

“On your left.”

A brilliant yellow circle, opening to a portal. Three figures step out. Steve can’t believe it. Scott had said Bruce’s snap worked. This is proof. T’challa nods at him. Then, from above, Sam swoops in and it tears threaten to form in Steve’s eyes. More portals begin to form and open. He sweeps his gaze to those coming through. And eventually meet familiar blue-gray ones. 

**Bucky.**

Steve’s emotions overwhelm him. Happiness, excitement, joy, love, desire, disbelief, guilt. It’s reminiscent of seeing him on the streets of DC but amplified. There are so many things he wants to say, wants to do, but there is a fight to be fought first. He nods and Bucky nods back. The horde of fighters gather around him. He holds out a hand, Mjolnir rushing into it. “Avengers,” he says, eyes right on Thanos. “Assemble.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When they get to the surface, the battle seems to be in full swing. Nebula ignores everything, eyes only for Thanos. She makes her stride longer, faster. The stones sing to her. Vengeance will be hers.. All of her rage is focused on that one desire. Behind her she can hear Clint using the comms.

“Uh, Cap, we could use some help here,” he says, swinging his sword to gut an enemy soldier.

“We’ve got it Rogers,” another voice says. Danvers, glowing brightly, swoops down from the sky. They are joined by others who Nebula knows personally or from files. Mantis. Hope. Valkyrie. Okoye. Shuri. Wanda. And surprisingly Pepper. They fight off everyone who tries to stop her. 

With every step she gets closer and closer to her ‘father’. How naive her past self was. He was never going to be proud of her. Nothing she ever did was good enough. She swipes at a soldier with the glove as she steps in front of the man who made her.

He looks down at her. “Daughter.” He starts to grin, but something changes in his expression as he looks at her more closely. “But not the one I know.”

“No,” Nebula replies, her voice tight. “She’s dead. By my hand. Now it’s your turn.”

He laughs. “Try it little one. I am inevitable.”

With a roar, Nebula lifts the glove. Thanos floats up from the ground. “You told me what you did to me came from love,” she tells him, making him twist in the air. “Now you can see how that ‘love’ felt.”

The stones glow, power shimmering around Nebula. Flesh strips from Thanos’ skin. She ignores his screams. Rubble from the battlefield transforms into metal, attaching itself to the Titan’s body. She remembers everything he did to her. The stones do the same to him. He stretches to the limits of his body and beyond. Muscle and bone snap. Wires wind into his skull. Bits and pieces of tech burrow into him.

“Sister.” Gamora’s voice. “Nebula.”

She stops. But only for a last word. "Goodbye, father.” A snap. He explodes into dust. A surge of triumph rushes through her. Relief. Triumph. He will never torture her again. But as quickly as the relief and triumph came, they vanish. He was the only parent she ever knew. He took her so young. 

The snap turned the army to dust as well. She watches the motes dance in the air, feeling nothing. Then she feels Gamora put a hand on her shoulder. She turns into her sister’s embrace and cries. Anguished sobs escape her throat. There is pain in her hand, along her arm, but her emotions overwhelm it all.

“Shhh, I know, sister, I know,” Gamora whispers. 

“How?” Nebula chokes out. “Why?”

“He was still our father,” Gamora says, rubbing her back gently. “We still loved him. Emotions are….”

“Stupid,” Nebula sobs.

“Complicated,” Gamora supplies. “There’s time now to figure them out.”

Nebula just sobs again, clutching her sister tighter to her as they stand there on a now quiet battlefield. Gamora strokes a hand down her arm, gently lifting it up and pulling at the remains of the gauntlet. Stuttered whirs and wrenching clicks echo as it shifts off of her arm. The red and gold metal is scarred but the stones still shine brilliantly.

“Here, I’ll take it,” says a small, furry creature.. “You look after her.”

Gamora hands it to him, ignoring the others who have gathered around them. There is the tree, the blue man, a woman with antenna, and the Terran who Nebula insisted her future self was in love with. She cradles Nebula close to herself. “Is there somewhere I can take her?”

“I am Groot. I am Groot,” the tree replies, pointing to where there are yellow portals open to a city that looks like something that should not belong here on Earth.

“Thank you,” she says. It takes a moment for her to stand, bringing Nebula with her. They all seem to want to help, but there must be something in her bearing that keeps them from offering. She walks slowly, carefully over the rubble to reach a portal. 

“She is injured?” someone asks. When Gamora nods, the person guides them through a portal, into what looks like a medical facility of some sort. The glowing woman who’d help lead the fight to protect Nebula is there.

“Oh. Our heroine,” she says. “I’m Carol, let me show you where they can help her.”  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gamora has been waiting for hours. The doctors here, a place named Wakanda, had swept Nebula away to be taken care of. There are others waiting for friends, loved ones, fellow soldiers in the fight against her father. She thinks of what she’s learned. The Gamora that belonged here, now, is gone; sacrificed for the Soul Stone. She can’t wrap around her head that Thanos’ warped version of love counted. Instead, she sits in this waiting room, sipping at something called coffee.

After watching people come and go, Gamora is joined by Carol. “Any news?” she asks.

Carol shakes her head. “Still in surgery. But they’re the best. Way ahead of anyone else on the planet. But I came to talk about something else.”

“Go on,” Gamora says.

“Do you have anywhere to go once she’s better?”

“No,” Gamora replies slowly. “I’ve been to long away from my people to go back there. Titan is not our home. And I don’t know where my sister came from. She was already with Thanos when I joined them.”

“I know a place. It started out as a refuge for the Skrulls. But it’s become somewhere for any refugee to stay. A series of planets, habitable to any species.”

“But as daughters of Thanos would we be welcome? He murdered so many. We…. we….”

Carol puts a hand on hers. “No judgement. Of all the people he harmed, you two have suffered the most.”

Gamora nods. “How would we get there?”

“The princess and that spider kid? They think they can rig one of the Wakandan darts to be space worthy. Might take a while, but it’ll give your sister time to recover.”

“Let me think about it.”

“Of course. Thanks to your sister, we’ve got that now.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Steve is panting when he hears someone come up behind him. “So, a hammer,” a familiar voice drawls.

“Guess I was finally worthy,” he replies, turning to smile at Bucky. He’s told the story of the dinner party to him many times before.

Bucky smiles in return and they hug. “Guess you still have some of the stupid with you,” he murmurs.

“Jerk.”

“Punk.”

“All right, all right, enough of the happy reunion,” Sam’s voice interrupts. “We should take stock.”

“Yeah, we should,” Steve says. He lets go of Bucky slowly, knowing there’ll be time later for them to talk. He looks around. Stark and Pepper are hugging each other, then Parker. Rocket is cradled by Groot. Scott is surrounded by Hope, Janet, and Hank. “In a few minutes.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It takes two weeks for Stark and Banner to make a new time portal. And Hank had to make more particles. Nebula and Gamora had left with Carol yesterday for parts unknown.. Steve didn’t blame them. There had been a lot of discussion about who was going to return the stones as the construction went on. Tony started to say it had to be him, but Pepper sternly reminded him that he had a daughter who relied on him. Bruce would never blend in. Clint is waiting for his family to arrive, mourning Nat. Scott has his family. Sam doesn't know where to go. Thor is drying out. That pretty much leaves Steve. 

So, here he is, in the middle of a green field with Sam, Bucky, and Bruce. 

“You sure you want to go alone?” Sam asks.

“I have to,” he says. He turns to Bucky. “I’ll be right back.”

Bucky nods. “I know. I’ll miss you.”

Steve frowns, but Bruce is there with the case. “Remember they have to go back right from when they were taken.”

“I remember,” he says. He takes the case in one hand, Mjolnir in the other as he steps onto the platform.

“How long will it take?” Sam asks. 

“For him, as long as he needs,” Bruce replies. “For us, five seconds. Ready, Cap?”

Steve nods, pressing the button on the band at his wrist. The suit encases him. Bruce counts down and he’s tossed into the void of the quantum realm once more. It’s vaguely reminiscent of the Cyclone, but at least he’s not losing his lunch. 

Morag is his first destination. When he appears, he hides. Thanos is still there, with both Nebula and Gamora. He grits his teeth to not interfere. Anger courses through him. He wants to make himself known, try and stop Thanos here and now. Once they disappear into the quantum realm to head for battle Steve knows is won. That was the only thing that held him back.

When they’re gone, Steve comes out of hiding. He walks past an unconscious Quill to replace the Power Stone. Nebula had provided him with tools to take down the energy shield. Once that’s done, he presses the button. On to 2014. Asgard is as beautiful as Thor described it. So is his mother.

She’s surprised when he appears, but then smiles. “You must be a friend of my son’s. He and that small creature just left.”

“Yes. I’m here to return the Aether,” he says, opening his case. “Unfortunately it has to go back into Jane. Oh and,” he lifts up Mjolnir. 

Frigga takes the stone from the case. “I was raised by witches. I can make it seem like it never left her body,” she replies. “As for the hammer, leave it. Thor always constantly forgets where he left it. When you return to your time, remind him that I love him.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says, pressing the button again.

2012 next. The Ancient One is grateful for the return of the Time Stone. “Bruce kept his promise. And you, Captain. There is so much I could tell you.”

Steve shakes his head. “I don’t want to know. I _can’t_ know. But maybe some advice?”

She laughs. “The spear, with the mind stone in it. Touch it to your past self’s head and think forgetting. Anything you said to him that might alter the timeline will be erased.”

“Thank you,” he sighs. 

“And as thanks for the return of my stone, a portal to your destination,”she says, weaving her hands so one appears.

With a nod, he steps through to where 2012 him is lying. He replaces the mind stone in the spear, follows the Ancient One’s advice. “Sorry, pal,” he says to himself. “I wish you could remember. I really want you to remember. But I can’t.” He leaves the spear next to his body, feeling a wave of sadness overcome him. He remembers how alone and despondent he felt then. So lost and broken. Shaking his head moves away from himself. There’s more to do.

Another button push. Tony had figured out coordinates so he would appear inside the base this time. Less suspicion to arouse. He’s supposed to go right down to return the Tesseract. Instead he hides in Peggy’s office. The lights are off but eventually he hears her approach, the clack of her heels a familiar sound. His heart jumps, racing in his chest at the thought of seeing her again, actually speaking to her and having her remember. She enters, almost turns on the lights, but pulls her gun and aims it right at him.

“Who are you? How did you get in here?”

“I can’t tell you,” he says. He looks her over, taking in every inch of her face. She’s more beautiful than he remembered. 

Peggy gasps. “You’re a ghost.”

He leans forward in the chair. “I was, for a time. Turn the lights on Pegs.”

She reaches behind her, gun still in one hand. The office goes bright and she looks at him - really looks at him. “Steve,” she sighs. “You…. I can’t know, can I?” She lowers the gun, holstering it slowly.

“You were always the smartest of us,” he says. “I have to return something I took. Figured you could get it back where it belonged without messing too much up.”

“I’ll take it, in a moment. There’s something first.”

“I owe you a dance.”

With a smile she moves across the room to a radio on top of a file cabinet. She turns it on and fiddles with the dial. “They call them oldies now. It’s not even been thirty years. Doesn’t feel old to me.”

“Me either,” Steve says. The strains of Glenn Miller fill the room. He holds out his hands and Peggy steps into his arms. It feels so right to have her there. The smell of her perfume drifts up to him, taking him back to that night in the pub. He sways with her. He’s wanted this forever. He even finally learned the steps, never realizing he’d be able to do this. They say nothing for the longest time as they hold each other. Her head rests on his chest. It’s so familiar to him that his heart aches know he’ll have to leave her. To live without her for the rest of his life. 

“Does he make you happy?” Steve finally asks, nodding to the picture of her with her family.

“He does. My youngest’s middle name is yours,” she says. “The eldest is James.”

He blushes. “So why my picture too?”

“To remind me why I do what I do,” Peggy responds. “I’d put it away for a while, but Daniel understands. I’ll always love you, Steve. But it’s different than what I have with Daniel.”

“I understand Peg. I never wanted you to wait.”

“What about you?” she asks. “Have you found someone?”

He debates with himself. She reaches up to cup his face. “Can I be trusted with one secret? I am the director of SHIELD after all.”

He leans into her touch, closing his eyes and drinking in the sensation of her touch.“Bucky,” he finally whispers. “He didn’t die. He’s.... changed.”

“So have you, it seems,” Peggy says. “But not much I hope. I remember how the two of you were together. I feel privileged to have shared a small part of it.”

The song ends. He brushes a kiss across her lips before letting her go. She tastes the same. She gives him a shaky smile. He goes back to the chair, lifts the case to her desk, opens it. “The Tesseract.”

“I’ll make sure it gets locked up again,” Peggy assures him removing the stone from the case. “One thing before you go.” She puts the stone aside, reaching for her purse. She digs something out, placing it in his hand. 

He looks down to see a tube of lipstick in her trademark shade of red. “Why?”

“Give it to James. Remind him of….”

Grinning, Steve pockets the lipstick. “Oh, I remember. I love you, Pegs. Always have, always will.”

“I know, Steve. I feel the same way. Go now, Be with James.”

“You be with Daniel.”

As she nods he presses the button once more. He leaves a large part of him with her. 

The climb up the mountain is nothing he can’t handle. Who is waiting there for him nearly knocks him on his ass. He shouldn’t have assumed Schmidt would have died that easily. Not when an Infinity Stone was involved. 

“The stone is not here, son of Sarah,” Red Skull says.

“I brought it back,” Steve says, holding out the case. He wishes he still had Mjolnir.. He wants to smash it into Red Skull’s face. The man is partly responsible for everything that happened to Bucky. Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath. Killing him will disturb the timeline. He breathes out, letting go of his anger and hatred. He looks Schmidt right in the eyes.

“A surprise.” With wave of a hand the case opens, the Soul stone floating out of it. “An even exchange.” There’s a flash of light and Steve finds himself at the bottom of the mountain again, sitting in a lake. There’s a sound to his left. He looks over and sees a familiar head of red and blonde hair.

“Nat?” Once again there’s disbelief, joy, wonder. 

Natasha is shaking water from her hair. “What? How? I died. I was dead.”

“Not anymore,” Steve says softly, reaching for her. 

She takes his hand. She’s real. She’s alive. “We won?”

“We won. I was returning the stones. Guy up there said it was…”

“An even exchange,” Nat finishes. 

“I figure he’s the one in charge, so why argue,” Steve admits. “Clint’s gonna plotz.”

“Now what? I go back but what about you? There someone you want to go to?”

“Not who you think,” Steve says, reaching into his pocket. He pulls out the compass.

“Rogers, please. I’ve seen it a thousand times.”

“You’ve seen what I wanted you to see, what I wanted everyone to see,” he says. He pops it open. With a fingernail he gently pulls Peggy’s picture out. The he hands it over to Nat.

She sees a picture that she recognizes from the Winter Soldier file. Barnes, in his sergeant’s uniform, fresh faced and innocent. “How didn’t I see it?”

“I learned to hide it. I loved them both. Now I can be with him legally.”

Nat nods, handing the compass back. He replaces Peggy’s picture before putting it away. “Let’s go home.”

“Sure,” Nat says, struggling a little to stand. “Then you can tell me all about James.”

Steve grins back as they both press their buttons for the last time.

*~*~*~*~*

“... two, one.” Bruce says as there’s a flash on the platform. “Natasha?”

“Bruce,” she says, smiling softly. “It’s good to see you again.”

“But… time travel, you…,” Bruce sputters.

“Are you going to argue with the stone’s guardian?” Steve asks, putting the empty case on the ground after he steps off the platform. Bruce shakes his head. 

“I’m certainly not,” Natasha says firmly. She goes over, strokes a hand over Bruce’s arm. “Why don’t you take me to wherever everyone’s staying. We have a lot to talk about.”

“Uh, sure, yeah, okay,” Bruce replies shakily, leading her off towards their makeshift base.

Sam and Bucky are there. Bucky seems surprised but Sam speaks first. “What’s next, Cap?”

“Retirement,” Steve replies. “Think I’m due.”

“A world without Captain America?” Sam asks.

Steve smiles, shaking his head. “No. Just without Steve Rogers holding the title. Go back to base. Shuri’s got something for you.”

“Really?” Sam squeaks. “Me?”

“Best man for the job,” Steve assures. Sam just runs off for the base. He turns to Bucky.

“You came back,” Bucky says. 

“Is that why you said you’d miss me? You didn’t think I would?” Steve asks.

“No. I mean… Carter….”

Steve takes Bucky by the arm, leading him to a nearby bench. “Let’s talk.”

They sit and Steve can tell Bucky is nervous. He’s not like he’d been whenever Steve had visited Wakanda. Steve looks out at the water in front of them. He thinks about what Peggy said. What he said. He loves the man next to him. Not just the man he remembers from before, but the man Bucky is now. He loves every version of Bucky.

“Bucky, I know it hasn’t been easy for you. But you remember more and more each day,” he starts out.

“You know I do, Steve.”

“Then do you remember that night in Paris?”

It takes a minute but Bucky cracks a smile and replies. “I do.”

“Or that afternoon in the forests of Austria?”

“That was a good afternoon,” Bucky says, smiling wider.

Steve reaches into his pocket, pulling out the lipstick. He shows it to Bucky. “How about that weekend in London?”

It takes a little longer but a deep blush slowly creeps over Bucky’s cheeks, but he grins. He remembers lip prints in that shade peppered over his dick. Bruises in the shape of Steve’s fingers on his hips. And a new appreciation of the serum’s affect on his stamina.

“Yeah, I do. She was a hell of a dame.”

Steve nods. “She was. She was happy. She moved on. But she still had feelings for both of us. Like I had feelings for both of you. Still have ‘em,” he says, putting the lipstick away. He wraps an arm around Bucky’s waist. “You are both the loves of my long life. Turns out my time with her wasn’t ever gonna be that long. But you and I? We said til the end of the line. Hasn’t ended yet. So what do you say?”

“I say you’re still I punk and I don’t know why I love you.”

Laughing Steve turns to kiss him. Bucky kisses back and Steve finally feels at peace in this world. 

“Hey guys, come on, Barton’s brood landed and Pepper ordered in,” Sam’s voice calls out. 

They both turn to see him approaching, carrying the shield. “Looks good on you,” Steve says.

Sam grins, posing with it. “It does, doesn’t it? Hurry up. Thor said he’s got two people who just came in he wants everyone to meet. A Lady Sif and a Darcy.”

“Oh! She’s the one who tased him in New Mexico,” Steve says excitedly. 

“Yeah, he tells that story a lot,” Bucky replies. “Sounds like a spitfire. Let’s go meet her.”

**Author's Note:**

> Just how the fuck did M&M and the Russos, who did everything right with Winter Soldier, fuck this up so badly? They fundamentally misunderstood Steve's arc. They put their fanfic on screen, this is my fanfic to fix it. (I have a good 10-15 minute rant on it.) There are going to be two additional fics to go with this. And a separate fic for a different kind of fix it. 
> 
> I'll give them this, they sure know how to make me wanna write.


End file.
